East Lyme — East Lyme High School Athletic Director Kevin Marcoux announced on Wednesday that Thomas Kleine has been hired as the head coach of the football team.

Kleine takes over for Rudy Bagos who resigned in December after leading the Vikings for the past 11 seasons.

Kleine has coached at the college, high school and youth level. He played at St. John’s and Southern Connecticut State, graduating from SCSU in 1998. He’s coached at Pace University, SCSU, Wilbur Cross, Daniel Hand and the Madison Youth Football league.

“We are excited to bring a person with Tom’s experience to East Lyme,’’ said Marcoux in a release. ”He has been successful at every level he has been at as a player and coach, most recently being part of the state championship culture at Daniel Hand High School and the Madison Youth Program.

“Coach Kleine separated himself from the candidate pool with his vision, knowledge and passion to develop our student-athlete football players into the best player, student and person they can be. His attention to detail and willingness to work tirelessly to put a product on the field that the community can be proud of impressed the committee. We look forward to bringing excitement to Friday nights in East Lyme this fall.”

Kleine is a physical education teacher in New Haven and resides with his wife and children in Madison.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to utilize my thirty years of football experience to lead the East Lyme football team,’’ Kleine said in a release. ”My goal is to shape a successful team through trust and respect. I hope to impart my love of the game and strong work ethic to build a program that the community is proud of. Together, we’ll strive to make fall Friday nights special in East Lyme.”